The present invention relates generally to a surgical accessory product, more particularly to an arm stabilizer for use in conjunction with an elbow surgery procedure.
Surgical procedures on the extremities of humans occur with great frequency, and particularly surgeries on the arm, elbow, and hand. Injuries to a person's arm, elbow, and hand come frequently from falls, reaching to catch one's self, slipping and landing on an elbow causing a shattering of the bone structure within the elbow, and attempting to brace oneself in response to a fall resulting in fractured bones in the humerus, elbow, forearm, and hand.
During the course of surgical procedures to repair the broken bones in the arm, historically the patient's arm has been placed on a pillow or some other support structure resting on the patient's waist or chest, or a foam pad can be used to support the arm. This procedure fails to properly secure and maintain in a fixed position the extremity on which the procedure is being conducted. There have been numerous attempts to address this problem, including those described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 473,200, 5,785,057, 7,017,215, 7,143,458, 7,441,293, and U.S. Publication No. 2008/0301878. The prior devices that are available in the industry, including those described in the aforesaid patents are an improvement over the simple use of a pillow resting on the patient's chest, but remain inadequate. Specifically, the prior art products fail to provide good exposure to the extremity, particularly to the patient's elbow, and make it difficult for the surgeon and nurse assistants to have easy, unfettered access to the patient's elbow, to properly complete the surgical procedure.